


The Epic of Gilgamesh

by mountainspider



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 10:10:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21135014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mountainspider/pseuds/mountainspider
Summary: A rewriting of the Epic of Gilgamesh, mostly staying faithful to the original with some references to the Fate universe, but with a spin of my own.





	1. Prologue

Once upon a time, there lived a golden boy. On his head lay a garden of golden tresses; on his ears hung rings of gold so magnificent they rivaled the very Hanging Gardens of Babylon; on his body rested the finest silks lined with gold. Heavens, even the ichor flowing through his veins were liquid gold: for he was born of noblest descent, child to the goddess Ninsun and priest-king Lugalbanda. A messenger between gods and humanity was his destiny, and destiny indeed he fulfilled, brilliantly, before his demise, like the valiant, beautiful yet melancholic last sputters of a sparkler. But while he was born into greatness, his arrogance forged himself a long and hard path to wisdom. This, then, is the story of the greatest king of Uruk: stronger than any that came before him and fairer than any that came after. And his name is –

_Gilgamesh_.


	2. The Tyrant King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plagued by the ruling of a cruel King, the people of Uruk cry out to the gods to create a being equal to Gilgamesh that could oppose him.

The markets of Uruk were a sight to behold. Fruits of the most exotic origin and clothes of the most skilful handcraft were displayed proudly at booths manned by people fortunate enough to live so close to the King. Yet “lucky” is not what they would call themselves. Oh, no, no amount of coin earned from the royalty could even _begin_ to compensate for the scars that their cruel ruler carved on their bodies. For you see, our dearest King was going through an ardous journey, battling a terrifying creature that went by the name “Puberty”.

Blessed by his riches, with his every need attended to immediately by servants, King Gilgamesh quickly grew to be arrogant and complacent with his wealth. He renounced the gods – nay, rather than denying them, he merely believed he was better than them. Stronger and wiser than the gods is what he thought he was. And so he began to abuse his birthright: the world. To him, it was only his perogative to have any bride he deigned to bed on the night before the wedding; and so what if he forced his men to participate in cruel games for his entertainment or tasked them impossible orders? He was the divine king, fated for greatness, and nary a soul dared raise a hand against his absolute strength.

“Help! Help! Gods save us from our King! Gilgamesh does not leave a son to his father; he does not leave a girl to her mother!”

The cries of help of the oppressed of Uruk rang clear, all the way to the heavens, to the ears of the Lord of Uruk, the god Anu. “Great god Anu has brought into being a mighty wild bull with its head raised, golden reins all but missing,” they complained, “a king by the name of Gilgamesh who rules his people with all the control of a shepherd but none of its gentleness.”

The gods, who could no longer tolerate the incessant droning of the Uruk people, called out to Aruru, the goddess of creation: “It was you, Aruru, who created mankind. Now create one equal to it – let them be an equal to Gilgamesh’s stormy heart, let them be a match for each other so that Uruk may find peace!”

Aruru thus set out to mould a being from clay – a puppet with no heart, with no purpose but to stop Gilgamesh’s cruelty, save Uruk from him and set him on the path of wisdom. And so the valiant one called “Enkidu” was born: in the wilderness, surrounded by miles and miles of greenery, with wild animals as the only witness to their birth. When Aruru rose to admire her creation, she saw an animal, their whole body shaggy with hair, with a full head of hair like a woman, and their locks billowed in profusion like Ashnan, the goddess of grain. They knew naught of people nor settled living. They ate grasses with the gazelles, jostled at the watering hole with the animals, and just like them, their thirst was slaked with mere water. But they were endowed with strength by the god Ninurta and so would do just fine in completing their only order. So Aruru, satisfied with her creation, left them to their own devices.

But all was not well. A notorious trapper came face-to-face with the hideous montrosity that was Enkidu opposite the watering hole: a first, second, and third day he saw what he believed a monster. The trapper’s face went stark with fear, and he returned home in haste. He was rigid with terror, and though stock-still, his heart pounded and his face drained of coloour. He wailed to his father: “Father, a certain fellow has come from the mountains. I cannot tell if they are man or woman, much less their place of origin. But this I can say with certainty: they are the mightiest in the land, their strength as great as Anu himself. They continually go over the mountains, jostle at the watering place with the animals, and plant their feet there. I was afraid, so I did not go up to them. But they filled out the pits I had dug, wrenched out my traps that I had spread, and released from my grasp the wild animals I had caught. They do not let me make my rounds in the wilderness – how am I to live if this continues?”

The trapper’s father replied, “My son, have you heard of the god Shamash? He is the god of justice and equity, the judge of both man and godkind. Seek him out, tell him of this creature of might. Ask for his guidance and your problem shall be solved.”

The trapper heeded his father’s advice. He journeyed to the heavens and stood before the god Shamash, declaring: “O wise and mighty god, I have come to seek your help, for a strange and primitive creature who recently appeared in the mountains has destroyed my means of living. I fear they do not understand our words, only the carnal language of nature, but they are strong as the great lord Anu, so I dare not confront them myself.”

Shamash advised: “Trapper, head to the temple of Ishtar, the goddess of love. Search for the emerald-haired harlot who goes by the name Shamhat. Bring her with you to the watering place, have her disrobe when the strange creature comes. Let her tame them with the wiles of a temple harlot. And when they are fully civilised, their animals, who grew up in the wilderness, will be alien to them.”

So the trapper set out to the heart of the fair city of Uruk, entered its great Temple of Ishtar and looked for a green-haired maiden. Shamhat was not hard to find, for she stood out like a wildflower in a garden of shrubs and moss. The trapper was thus accompanied by the fairest lady on his return journey to the mountains.

On the third day they arrived at the appointed place, and the trapper and Shamhat sat down to wait for the creature. Another one, two, and three days pass as they lay in wait at the watering hole. But their effort was not for naught, for, huzzah! The beast had arrived.

And so began the taming of Enkidu, into the faithful friend and adviser of the tyrant king Gilgamesh.


End file.
